n2doc

n2doc's Journal

April 1, 2013

Pharmaceutical Pollution Wreaks Havoc on Nation's Rivers

By Tamarra Kemsley

Pharmaceutical pollution is now being detected in bodies of water throughout the nation and its effects are debilitating for local plant and animal life, according to a paper published in Ecological Applications.

Lead author Emma Rosi-Marhsall is a scientist at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies and the study's lead author. The reasons for the pollution, Phys.org reports her as having said, are widespread.

"Causes include aging infrastructure, sewage overflows, and agricultural runoff," she explained. "Even when waste water makes it to sewage treatment facilities, they aren't equipped to remove pharmaceuticals. As a result, our streams and rivers are exposed to a cocktail of synthetic compounds, from stimulants and antibiotics to analgesics and antihistamines."

Along with her colleagues from Indiana University and Loyola University Chicago, Rosi-Marshall looked at how six widely-used pharmaceuticals impacted streams of similar sizes in New York, Maryland and Indiana.

Included were Caffeine, the antibiotic ciprofloxacin, the antidiabetic netformin, two antihistimines used to treat heartburn and another used to treat allergies.

more

http://www.natureworldnews.com/articles/1149/20130401/pharmaceutical-pollution-wreaks-havoc-nation.htm